As Minos arrived alongside several mid- and high-level Spiritual Sages, the local leaders immediately sought him out to congratulate him on his recent victories.
Not everyone knew what he had been doing for the past few months. Still, this return said much about Minos' recent accomplishments and the empire's future!
With these men returning with him, the empire would have a much more promising destiny than many had previously thought and would possibly have Demigods of its own in a few years!
...
"Your Majesty, congratulations on your recent victories. The future of the empire is unshakable!" The current leader of the Snow area said as he saw Minos walking towards the wormhole port of this city.
Minos merely waved to the local assembly leaders and representatives in the surrounding area while many of his soldiers there looked at him full of pride.
Grace and Celeste were still in this city from Minos' departure months ago, and they also greeted him.
Both had advanced one level in that period, with the stronger one currently being at level 73 and the weaker one at level 72.
"Your Majesty, are those our reinforcements? Did you manage to turn the previous situation in our favor?" Celeste asked as she walked beside Minos, directing him to the right wormhole that connected this site to Dry City.
"Hmm, they are," Minos said in a low voice. "Luckily, plenty of seeds were willing to follow what their ancestor ordered them to do. So we'll have a few more helpers joining the army."
"That's amazing! Congratulations on your victory on the Divine Continent, Your Majesty." Gracie smiled, wondering what these people on Minos' side could achieve once they had time to cultivate in the Spatial Kingdom.
The war between the southern and western regions had begun, so they would have the next few years with some peace that would allow everyone to improve their levels a bit.
A single-level improvement for the strongest of this group would already make a lot of difference to the entire empire, so this woman was naturally anxious.
Minos didn't invest much in talking to his people there, even though he had several questions about what had happened in the empire and the south of the continent in the months since his departure.
He would be arriving in Dry City before long, so he would leave it to his staff to find out exactly what had happened in his absence.
"You will be going to Dry City soon, so we will talk more when the time comes. See you!" Minos bade farewell to the two, soon after entering a portal followed by the crew that had sailed with him over the past few months.
These hybrids, pure humans and beasts, were curious about everything in their surroundings, noting how inferior this place was compared to the Divine Continent but still confident of their decisions.
None of them were rash to judge something by the surface, so no one said anything.
Soon, they were all traveling through the wormhole connecting this city on the east side of the empire with the capital on the west side.
In a few moments, they would reach Dry City!
...
On the outskirts of Dry City, outside the local pyramidal dome, the wormhole port in one of the capital's satellite cities was operating as usual.
People, usually members of the Black Plain Army, were leaving for destinations around the northern region, but not only soldiers used this place. Many resources were transported through wormholes between this state's different areas and also of its allies.
So it was very common to see large wagons with resources coming and going from this place.
Naturally, with so much demand for this service, there was a lot of traffic there practically every hour of the day.
At this moment, hundreds of people were coming and going from that large property, which, by the way, was as large as a shipping port commonly seen in coastal cities.
Right in the middle of this area, one portal vibrated, signaling that someone was about to arrive.
Immediately the officials around that portal blocked the passage of people to the platform, making room for the group coming from Snow's area.
To the surprise of many there, Minos appeared from that portal a second later!
"Your Majesty!"
The soldiers in the surrounding area immediately bent their knees in respect to Minos, forming expressions of happiness at seeing their leader again after several months of him being gone.
But then Starclaw and the mighty Sages of his group arrived behind him, soon filling that platform with dozens of experts.
"That's..."
Gulp!
As astonishment spread, the men in Minos' group immediately noticed the differences between that city in Snow's area and this place.
The central area of the Black Plain still didn't compare to the magnificent lands of the Divine Continent. But this place was by no means bad. From the spiritual density in the surroundings, the strongest people realized that even if they didn't go to the Spatial Kingdom, they could cultivate to become Demigods in this place.
"This really is a good place. It is not for nothing that His Majesty could develop his state from scratch and reach the current point. These lands can maintain the advancements needed for a state of this proportion!" One of the high-level elders of the Longus family commented to his companions.
"The place really looks good, but..." As a woman was about to comment on the area, she suddenly saw darkness in the distance and frowned.
"What is it here?"
The strongest elder in the group commented. "I feel that if I go near that, even I would meet my end."
Minos ignored the comments in the surroundings and said. "Come with me. Let's go to my capital."
With those words, they all disappeared from that port of wormholes, emerging a few seconds later on one side of the black pyramidal dome covering Dry City.
Upon arriving there, Minos manipulated it and opened a passage for his group, entering the interior of Dry City without waiting for his people to make way for him.
'So this is His Majesty's doing...' The level 89 old man thought to himself, seeing that Minos had his own means of protecting his people in his absence.
"Sigh..."
'The ancestor really was wise. He made a wise choice, even though he lived millions of years before His Majesty was born.'
While some were thinking similarly, glorifying the name of Henricus Longus and acknowledging the monstrosity of Minos' powers, the emperor's wives noticed his return.
When they noticed Minos' presence, Ruth and Gloria immediately left what they were doing to go to him!
